In the Face of Fear
by goblz
Summary: The Ducks go skiing, but five of them get caught in an avalanche. Chapter seven finally added! Portman visits the rest of the guys in the hospital.
1. Prologue

**Thanks to Quimby for beta'ing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they all belong to Disney. I am not making profits. I am doing this purely for fun. grin P.S. I also disclaim to having a life, LOL!**

**Prologue**

"I have a beautiful picture in my head of you falling on your butt halfway down the mountain," Connie Moreau teased her boyfriend as they loaded their luggage underneath the team bus.

"If I remember correctly it was you who fell last time we went skiing," Guy Germaine replied, baring to her his trademark grin. Connie responded with a warning glare and a playful shove.

"I get my own seat, if I have to share with Russ my ears will fall off!" Les Averman exclaimed, interrupting the couple, to put his own suitcase under the bus. "And can someone explain to me why Dwayne is bringing his cowboy hat on a skiing trip?"

"I can't believe you're complaining about Russ talking too much," Connie laughed. Averman grinned sheepishly, knowing he was also well known for letting his mouth run. With a shrug, he turned to go back to his dorm room to get his skis.

The high school hockey team to which the three belonged, the Eden Hall Academy Ducks, were taking a ski trip for the weekend. The Ducks had been pumped up for it for several weeks, especially Connie and Guy because the trip would give them time alone together. Between school, practice, games, and homework, sometimes the two scrambled to find a moment alone together. The coming weekend would be a welcome change.

"Why is everyone taking so long?" Charlie Conway, captain of the Ducks, roared as he stepped off the bus. "Coach said we were leaving at eight a.m. sharp, and almost everyone still has their stuff inside!"

"Charlie, chill out, it's only quarter 'til!" Guy assured his friend as he and Connie exchanged an amused look. "Breathe."

Charlie threw Guy an annoyed glare and headed for the dorms, muttering under his breath. The couple watched him go before claiming their seats in the back on the bus.

"He always freaks out like that when we have to go somewhere, and yet we always leave on time," Guy smirked as Connie settled herself in his arms.

"Well, that's only because he rushes everyone out the door," she pointed out, and Guy had to admit she was right.

Charlie made the perfect team captain. He was a natural leader, and the Ducks naturally followed him, with few exceptions. There were other leaders on the team too, such as Dean Portman and Fulton Reed. Guy didn't mind being one of the followers. He was used to fading into the background, even if he didn't always like it. He knew he was not a natural leader. In fact, if he was put in the position of having to be, he had no idea what he would do. He'd never had to before.

At five minutes to eight, the Ducks were in their seats and anxiously waiting to get going. "Remember," he told them in his usual strict tone. "No one goes off by themselves, you're all to be with at least one other person at all times unless you're in the lodge lobby. Pay attention to all signs when you're out skiing. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes that will keep you warm enough. And most important," he added, a smile coming to his face, "is that this trip is for you guys to have fun."

No one considered that last part a problem. The bus was quickly full of loud voices trying to talk over each other. In the back of the bus, Guy, Connie, Charlie and Greg Goldburg fondly recalled when Goldburg's parents had taken them all skiing back when they were eight. They were all part of the pee-wee hockey team back then, long before anyone had put them together as a real team. Averman, the only other one on the team who had been with them in pee-wee, was at the front of the bus making fun of Dwayne's hat.

Guy was all too happy to point out to Charlie that they had left on time. Charlie gave him a wry smile, knowing not to take the jest seriously. As the time passed, the Ducks slowly quieted down, talking to people nearest them or putting on their headphones. Julie Gaffney, the team goalie, pulled out a new book she'd been waiting to have time to read. Connie and Guy made small talk, reveling in the time they had with each other and excited to get up to the ski resort to start in their weekend.

**TBC******

**Okay, I know that was short, but it was merely a prologue. I promise the chapters will be longer. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter One

**A/N: I cannot believe how long I took to get this chapter up! I tried writing this chapter after I posted the prologue. Several beginnings to this chapter ended up being tossed or lost, and I lost my motivation for this fic for a bit but it's back! Thanks for reading, remember to drop me a review.**

**Chapter One**

"That man needs a map!" Averman exclaimed as he led the way into the lobby, his teammates grumbling agreements behind him. "Christmas is only six weeks away; let's pitch in and get him one."

It was nearing four in the afternoon and the Ducks were only just arriving at the ski resort. Orion had gotten the bus driver lost. They ended up missing a turn, going in circles around a church parking lot nearly twenty times, and continued on for miles before the driver realized they were on the wrong road. Now everyone was tired and grumpy, and with the sunset coming in about an hour, there would be no time for skiing that day.

Orion was the grumpiest of them all. As he walked into the lobby a couple minutes after the Ducks, he warned them all not to say anything to him about the drive up. He got them checked in and then barked their sleeping arrangements out to them. Guy was very glad he was not rooming the coach. Instead, he was with Russ Tyler, Goldburg, Charlie and Fulton. Connie and Julie had their own room together, so while everyone was bringing in their stuff, Goldburg jokingly requested that Julie and Guy switch rooms.

"Don't let the me catch you in the girls' room, Germaine!" Orion barked, coming up from behind the two unexpectedly. "If you want to spend time with your girlfriend, do it in the lobby or on the slopes!" As he passed, he glared at Goldburg, who withered and gave a meek smile.

"I hope he's in better spirits tomorrow," Averman said to them when the coach was out of earshot. "Maybe dinner tonight'll cheer him up."

Orion did seem in much better spirits over dinner. The Ducks entertained themselves by watching Portman and Fulton concoct the nastiest drink they could by adding all sorts of stuff to Portman's Dr. Pepper. Portman then offered to pay five bucks to anyone willing to drink all of it, ten bucks if it was one of the girls.

"I'm not drinking that!" Julie exclaimed through her laughter.

In the end Goldburg was the only one brave enough to take up the offer. He managed to down the entire liquid but felt sick the rest of the night.

"Was it worth the five bucks?" Guy asked Goldburg that night as they settled into their beds. Goldburg and Guy were sharing a bunk, Goldburg on the bottom.

"Yeah it was, he just bought me lunch tomorrow!" Goldburg replied, feeling much better.

"Half your lunch, you mean," Russ pointed out from the bottom of the other bunk. "Man, prices here are expensive! I'll be going back to Eden Hall a poor man!"

"You already are a poor man, Russ," Fulton replied, snickering. Russ kicked the mattress of Fulton's bed and the four shared a laugh before agreeing to catch some sleep. Orion woke them up at nine the next morning to get ready for skiing.

Down in the lobby the fireplace, centered in the middle of the room with windows for heating on every side, was already going strongly to try to counter the cold that swept in every time the outside doors were open. The place was crowded as many other skiers were preparing for the day ahead of them.

As everyone ate breakfast, Charlie noted how fast the snow was coming down. "I hope the wind doesn't pick up too much," he said, "or it might get in the way of our skiing."

"Hey are we doing the advanced slopes?" Dwayne asked the team.

"We are," Guy replied, pointing to himself, Connie and Charlie. "That's all we ever do, really."

"Yeah we ski so rarely that we don't waste time on the more amateur slopes," Connie said with a grin, winking at Julie. Julie was more comfortable on the intermediate slopes, and Luis Mendoza had sportingly agreed to accompany her.

"Portman and I are doing the expert slopes, too," Fulton told Dwayne. He looked to Guy, Connie, and Charlie. "We could all go together."

The other Ducks were all starting out on the intermediate slopes along with Julie and Luis. Orion said he would start out on the expert slopes and then switch groups, and would probably keep switching throughout the day, saying he liked variety. Now that he was in a good mood, the hockey coach was fun to hang around with.

"I'll give five bucks to anyone who beats me down this mountain," he challenged as he arrived at the top of the first mountain with Guy, Connie, Charlie, Dwayne, Fulton, and Portman. Grinning, they all took him on, and soon they were all nearly flying down the mountain, snow coming up like dust behind them.

Orion was the first to reach the bottom, Portman seconds behind him. "Looks like you're all going hungry," the coach told them with a grin, heading for the ski lift.

The day moved by swiftly with the seven racing down different ski trails trying to beat each other. By the time any of them were hungry for lunch, Orion had long since gone to join the others. Deciding to head back to the lobby for some food, the six slowly trudged their way through the cold, feeling relief to walk through the doors of the lobby to heat.

The other Ducks were already at a table eating food. They hollered out their greetings and promised to save seats while the six waited in line for food. Then Russ cheerfully shared how Ken had rolled down half the mountain, deciding for all of them that they would take a break. Ken rolled his eyes, apparently nursing a bruised ego.

After they'd eaten and were about to head out again, Connie pulled Guy aside. "Hey, I'm not going to go back out with you guys," she told him. "Julie wants to stay here and talk about something, and I think she really needs it."

"Okay. Did you want to get some time together before dinner?? I doubt we'd be able to get away from the guys tonight."

Connie nodded. "Sure. It's two o'clock right now, do you want to meet me back here at about three-thirty?"

"That sounds good," he agreed, kissing her quickly. Portman and Dwayne were calling for them to hurry up. "See you then." He hurried back to the guys, who flooded him with questions about why Connie wasn't joining them. Connie just smiled as she watched them leave and then turned to the goalie, who sat on one of the lodge couches waiting for her.

The snow was falling softly now but as the sun made its journey towards the western skies the temperature was plummeting. It was almost three when the five Ducks found themselves at the top of what was said to be the hardest run of the entire ski resort. They'd been saving it all day and couldn't contain their excitement when they finally stood before it.

"Interesting terrain," Dwayne commented, looking down at the steep, rocky slope. Their view of the run was cut off by a sharp curve, which would require them to hit it at just the right angle.

"I've heard there are plenty of jumps, too," Fulton grinned.

"This'll have to be my last run," Guy said somewhat remorsefully, looking at his sport watch. "And then I have to get back to the lodge."

"You're only running this once?" Portman asked incredulously. "Well, your loss Germaine!"

"Let's just make it a good run. We betting?" Guy challenged.

"Yeah, let's up the bet," Portman suggested. "Whoever gets down last buys dinner."

"Guys I don't think I have enough money for that," Charlie cut in with a frown.

"Then just make sure you don't get down last, Captain!" Fulton replied, slapping Charlie on the back.

"Let's go!" Portman exclaimed, jumping down onto the run without warning. The others were quick to follow but none could catch him.

This run was definitely the trickiest they'd done all day: miss the sharp turn and they'd have tumbled down the mountainside full of snow and sharp rocks. Moving through the many trees was not a problem for Guy, though, and he hit and landed all the jumps perfectly. By the time he was at the bottom he was grinning broadly, wishing he had time for another go.

He got down just behind Portman; Charlie and Fulton were right behind them.

"Looks like Dwayne's buying," Charlie stated, looking slightly relieved, as they stood in a circle catching their breaths.

"He can afford it," Fulton said. "His parents sent him a ton of money about a week ago."

"He sure is taking a long time to get down," Guy frowned, looking up the run they'd all just come from. Dwayne hadn't had a problem keeping up all day; on several of the runs he'd come down first. If they had all gotten down this last one around the same time, he should have too.

The four looked out around them; the snow was still coming down but no one was around. A few other skiers were coming down off the run but they didn't see Dwayne.

Portman started to call out but Charlie swiftly stopped him. "Don't! This is a really steep mountain, and do you see how high the snow is up at the top? Let's not risk calling it down on us."

Guy checked his watch. It was 3:30 already but if Dwayne had gotten hurt... he couldn't leave. There wasn't even a question about that.

"Well we should probably go looking for him," Guy suggested to the other three.

"If he's beyond that last jump we'll have to get help," Charlie pointed out. "Odds are we'll have to get help anyway..."

"Let's make sure he isn't beyond the jump first; we need to find him quickly and then we can get help if we need to," Portman contradicted. Fulton agreed with him and, seeing that there was some sense in it, Charlie and Guy agreed. They started up the steep mountain, noticing that there were no more skiers coming down. The mountain wasn't steep near the bottom but their skis prevented them from moving very fast. The wind was picking up, bringing with it heavier, quicker snowfall.

Only a couple minutes passed before they were all feeling extremely cold, having slowed down after hours of skiing. But just as Guy was about to suggest they get someone from the resort to call for help, Dwayne popped out seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey guys!" he exclaimed from about twenty yards away, waving them over. "Come look at this!" They hurried over to find the cowboy standing, grinning, and apparently fine.

"Dude, Dwayne, we thought you were hurt!" Portman exclaimed in a mixture of relief of anger, following Dwayne through the snow a bit further up the mountain.

"Sorry but I saw this on my way down and it's so cool," Dwayne said, stepping just slightly off the path of the ski run and pointing. "It's a cave. Check it out!"

Sure enough, from where Dwayne had apparently come out of nowhere, was a cave that none of the other four had noticed. Curiously they stepped through the tall, narrow opening, which provided the only source of light inside. The ceiling sloped down quickly, causing Dwayne and Portman, to have to kneel down.

"Hey, Dwayne, Connie's waiting for me back at the lodge," Guy called from the back of the line.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Dwayne shrugged it off. "You're already late, right? Just stay a couple more minutes and check this out. It goes really deep."

"Uh, Dwayne..." Portman hesitated as the sound of sliding pebbles echoed. "I don't think this cave is very stable." They all stopped as the ground shook slightly, causing a bit more rocks to slide down against the walls.

"Something's not right about this," Charlie commented uncertainly. There was a pause.

"Maybe you're right," Dwayne agreed as they all turned around and quickly made their way back towards the entrance. Guy took two steps out of the cave before Fulton roughly pulled him back in. Seconds later, the entrance was blocked by a cold, solid wall of packed snow.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter Two

**Well, I _did_ promise that it would not be eleven more months. I didn't exactly have four months in mind when I said that but at least I didn't break my promise, LOL! Ahem School starts Monday cry but I promise you I will finish this fic! It will be finished because I have loved the idea for this since I got it, and I like writing a Mighty Ducks fic, LOL. Anyway, here is chapter two at last. Enjoy, and review, please. It really truly does motivate me knowing people are reading.**

**Chapter Two**

Guy barely had time to notice the massive amount of snow hurtling down the mountain towards him before he was pulled back into the cave he had just come out of. Blinking, his mind was slow to come out of its shock and comprehend what had just happened. The sound of the snow rushing past blared in his ears; nearly seconds afterwards, there was silence, followed by what sounded like rocks falling down the sides of the cave he and his friends stood in. With a shaking hand that he couldn't even see, he touched the wall of snow. It was hard as ice. They were trapped.

"Avalanche," Charlie muttered under his breath, even though they all knew.

"Thanks for pulling me back," Guy whispered to Fulton, feeling slightly breathless at the realization that he'd come so close to being swept away in the snow.

"No problem," came the shaky reply. "What do we do now?"

Silence fell for another minute. Guy again reached out to what had just been the only way out. "I don't think we'll be getting through this wall," he told the others.

"Why is everyone whispering?" Dwayne asked loudly, causing more rocks to slide. "Oh." Guy wished Dwayne could see the glare Guy was shooting off in the direction of the cowboy's voice.

"Keep it down," Fulton whispered. "We have enough problems without bringing the cave down on us. It's already unstable, and who knows how many feet of snow it's under now."

"You don't think it'll cave-in, do you?" Dwayne asked, fear evident in his tone.

"No one has match or a flashlight?" Charlie asked in a low voice, purposefully changing the subject.

"No," Portman replied sarcastically. "This wasn't supposed to be a camping trip!"

"I was just asking!" the team captain snapped.

"Don't fight!" Guy hissed. No one said anything in reply. With a sigh, Guy turned his head, immediately seeing there was no point to looking around; there was darkness everywhere and he wouldn't have been able to distinguish one side of the cave from another; but he was good with direction and therefore knew that the snowed-in entrance was to his right.

But he couldn't see any of his friends. That in itself made him uncomfortable.

"Where is everyone?" Charlie asked, keeping his voice to a whisper. "We need to try and find some way out of here, some sort of depression or something."

"No," Fulton disagreed. "We can't do that. If we push in on the wall, the entire cave could collapse. For right now we need to avoid that at all costs."

"So we just sit here and wait? It's cold in here, and I'm hungry!" Dwayne protested.

Dwayne was right about it being cold. As his nerves calmed and silence fell between the five, Guy felt the cold more and more. He could feel the freezing temperature emanating from the snow-packed wall just standing near it. The air itself was cold; the teen could almost see the steam that came from his mouth with each breath. That he was wearing a ski coat, a ski mask, and gloves would not help him for long if they weren't found soon.

He heard someone moving around but no one said anything. A few seconds later, Charlie suggested that they move to the back of the cave. "The ground up here is a bit wet from the snow rushing by and from our skis," the captain told them. "We'll need to take off our skis and leave them here, because we won't want to be standing up wearing them forever."

Slowly, because they couldn't see, they all removed their skis and made their way to the back of the cave. Portman was the first to reach the back, and as the others caught up with them, he announced that the ground was in fact dry. Being away from that wall was already making Guy feel a bit warmer. As he sat down on the hard ground, he wondered how far away his other friends were, if they were sitting in a circle or a line or in some weird formation that had no name. No one said anything, but just sat there waiting. Not being able to see almost drove him crazy. He wondered if this was what it was like to be blind, and decided it probably was. He did not like it at all.

* * *

News of the avalanche hit the ski lodge quickly; skiers rushed in from the cold out of fear of being caught in another one. The lobby was almost deafeningly noisy as friends and family searched for each other, all hoping desperately to find the people they looked for. Rescue teams were sent out immediately to find anyone who might have been caught in the avalanche. Managers of the lodge were trying to assemble some kind of order so they could go determine who, if anyone, was missing. The ski resort set up a table where people could report other people missing; the list was incredibly long at first but people were quickly being crossed off as they entered the lodge.

Coach Ted Orion had gathered the members of his school hockey team in a corner, keeping an avid watch on the door for those still out on the slopes. The silence among the team was a lasting one, probably for the first time ever. Usually reading the emotions of his players was rather difficult; most of the teammates were not the kind to wear what the felt so openly, but shock and disbelief covered the faces of all present. Hearing about an avalanche on the news or watching it in a movie was one thing, but being so near one and worrying about whether anyone you knew what caught up in it was quite another.

Ken and Russ walked through the door, and the ducks all rose to their feet hollering their names. Their calls went unheard, however, as they merely fell in with the noise of the rest of the crowd. Orion pushed his way through the crowd to reach the boys and he led them back to the team. The shocked faces he'd been observing moments ago faded as everyone leapt up to greet the two in relief.

Only five of them were left now. That seemed a bit weird to think about when five members was a third of the team. But he knew those five were together, and he also knew that the odds were against the chance that the five had been on the slope where the avalanche had hit. There were dozens of slopes at the resort, and Connie had mentioned that Guy was supposed to have been meeting her, suggesting that the five were heading back to the lodge before the avalanche hit. They probably were delayed in their return because of the mayhem of the avalanche. That, or they were in large, panicked crowd somewhere, somehow unnoticed by their teammates.

"Where are the others?" Russ asked, inquiring about the five who still hadn't returned. The group sobered quickly.

"They're not back yet," Adam replied, and Russ and Ken fell silent too.

"They'll be here shortly," Orion assured everyone firmly, folding his arms across his chest. He looked around at them all, who all looked back at him with a mix of expressions on their faces. Some of them looked hopeful and others skeptical. "There's no reason to worry just yet."

* * *

"I want you all to know," Portman said quite seriously, "that no matter what happens… I won't ever eat any of you."

"Uh… thanks, Portman," Charlie replied uncertainly. "That, uh, means a lot."

Portman exhaled heavily, as if revealing what he just had had taken a lot out of him emotionally.

The five had moved closer to each other a while ago, reaching out trying to find each other's shoulders so that they would all be near each other. When Fulton had last checked his watch, which lit up in the darkness, more than an hour had passed since the avalanche. He'd then promised not to check it quite so often, for it had seemed like hours had passed.

They'd all confessed already that they were colder than they had been previously; Guy was shivering slightly now. The cold around them was slowly taking over and once the sun above them fell the temperatures would drop to dangerous temperatures. They had nothing to build a fire, which they wouldn't have been able to do in such an enclosed, unstable area anyway. No one had any food on them. The more they talked about such things, the more they realized that they were losing this sudden, unexpected fight for survival. That weighed them all down terribly and had, until now, strangled from them all a desire to talk.

"I wonder if they know we're here yet," Dwayne said.

"I'm sure they at least figure we were caught in the avalanche," Portman answered. "That won't exactly lead them here, though."

"You don't think that we're going to use up all our oxygen soon do you?" Dwayne then asked pensively.

"What?" Fulton asked. "Don't be such a moron."

"No, he's right," Guy interrupted. "If there aren't any air holes in here then we aren't getting any replenishment of oxygen and we'll just breathe it all up."

"But it's already been more than an hour," Fulton pointed out.

"This cave isn't incredibly small," Portman told him. "But it is possible that we we'll start to run out of oxygen soon."

"You're so full of optimism," Charlie snapped.

"Hey this is our situation, Conway," Portman snapped back. "I'm just trying to be realistic."

"Well I'd rather not sit here in absolute darkness thinking about my impending death!" the team captain almost yelled. Again the sounds of sliding pebbles filled their ears.

"So don't think about it!"

"Stop it you guys," Fulton cut in. "Fighting is useless. We're all friends, so let's just worry about getting through this together. Because if we're going to make it, that's how it's going to be. Together."

Guy nodded his agreement, even though the others couldn't see him. He was sure by the silence that they all agreed. In fact, he was sure that Portman and Charlie weren't really mad at each other, but they were both mad at the situation and found each other to be a way to vent some of their pent up frustration and anxiety.

He leaned back against the cave wall slowly, sure that it would support him but not wanting to risk a potential cave-in. Leaning his head back, he stared in front of him. There was nothing to see. Complete darkness. He didn't want to die before he could see again. Dying blind was not what he had in mind. But then, he reminded himself, oftentimes people find themselves in places they never thought they'd be, completely out of control of their own lives and what was going to happen.

"Can I say something?" Charlie asked a while later, again disrupting the silence.

"Yeah, say whatever you want," Portman replied quietly.

"I… Well, I'm really glad that we're all together. What I mean is, I'm glad that if I have to be here, and you all have to be here, I'm glad that we're here together."

"Of course we'd be together if we all have to be here," Dwayne said, his tone reporting his puzzlement."

"I know what you mean," Guy cut in. Then he thought he'd elaborate a bit for the cowboy's sake. "If we'd been out on the mountain when the avalanche hit, we might have all been separated."

"Oh," the Texan said. "Well, I'm glad to be in y'all's company too."

"Me, too," Portman said, taking Guy by surprise. "Being a Duck means a lot to me, and I know you guys all doubted it because I left when Bombay bailed. Just so you know, being on this team was the best thing that ever happened to me. I just didn't think it would be the last best thing to ever happen to me."

**TBC**


	4. Chapter Three

**I got this done in a week! How awesome is that, lol. For me it's actually pretty great, especially since this is the first week of school, LOL! For those who reviewed last chapter, thank you so very much! For everyone still reading, thanks for hanging in there with me. Since I first got the idea for this fic, which was several months before I even started writing it, I was excited about this fic and I still am. I know I will finish this one and I'm so glad to be able to write it. LOL.**

**Chapter Three**

The sun had fallen past the western horizon; a crescent moon was visible though clouds kept the stars at bay. Luis Mendoza, staring out the nearby window, sat with his hockey team in stunned silence. Dinnertime was slowly passing, and the lodge was beginning to empty. The Ducks, however, would not be leaving.

The snow that fell so calmly over the mountaintops created a dangerous illusion. The avalanche had fallen hours ago; long enough for the ski resort to determine who all had been caught in it. Eight people had been unfortunate enough to be on that high, steep mountain. A group of three friends had been pulled out only half an hour ago and taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. The five Ducks still out there remained missing.

The manager of the ski lodge offered to the team free food and drinks, trying his best to put their minds to ease about something. He came by often with the latest updates, making sure they knew what was going on. Luis hadn't heard anything actually worth reporting except that the other three avalanche victims had been rescued.

He was squeezed on a couch for three with six other people. Any other day and he would have complained that it was uncomfortable and stuffy, or that Julie Gaffney wasn't one of the occupants. Tonight being so close to each other offered the only real comfort any of them could take.

Connie was sitting on Goldburg's lap, her head resting against his shoulder. Les Averman sat next to them; the lifelong friendship the three shared pulling them together. They hadn't spoken at all since the five missing boys were reported officially missing. Next to Averman sat Ken, then Russ, and then Adam, putting Luis at the end. Julie sat on the floor before the couch between Russ' and Adam's legs. Orion stood leaning against the wall, his eternal frown somehow more prominent than ever.

"More hot chocolate anyone?" Adam offered suddenly, and everyone on the couch had to adjust in their seats as Adam struggled to pull up to his feet. "I'll get it."

"I'll have some," Julie said quietly, but no one else took the offer. Even though the fireplace was in the center of the lodge, placing them far from the reach of its heat, no one seemed to be cold. Or maybe they just weren't thirsty.

"We're gonna be all right," Luis was driven to say as Adam walked away. "I think we're pretty lucky that in such a big group of friends we can all be this close to each other." The others stared at him in surprise. The Floridian wasn't known for sentimentality. He shrugged. "That's kinda rare where I come from."

"I think it's rare anywhere," Orion agreed. He shifted his weight and glanced over at the line for drinks where Adam stood waiting. "I've been putting this off, but I need to call their parents. The press wants names, and no parent wants to hear about their child on the late-night news."

"I'll call Guy's dad," Connie offered, getting up. She halted the coach's coming protest with a look. "I know him better than you do," she reminded him.

The lodge manager came over then and showed the two to telephones where they could make the calls. Adam came back soon after.

"You missed Mendoza's heartfelt moment for the year," Russ informed him, lightening the mood slightly.

"Oh yeah? What did he say?" Adam joined in the teasing.

"I wasn't being heartfelt," Luis protested, feeling a bit humiliated as Russ told Adam what he'd said. "I just said… what I was thinking, that's all."

"The sun went down," Averman told everyone, his eyes on the television. "Do you think they'll be okay with the dropping temperatures?"

"If they're found soon," Goldburg answered. "It's hard to survive a whole night buried in snow when you can't move."

"Guy's dad's not coming," Connie announced with a tone of bitterness as she rejoined the group a few minutes later. From her facial expression they could all see she was upset. "He wants me to call him when there's news."

"He's just not coming?" Julie asked, incredulous. "Doesn't he want to be up here, to wait?"

Luis exchanged a surprised look with Russ. He got the impression, however, that Adam, Averman, and Goldburg were not surprised by this.

"He's busy," Connie answered, sitting on the arm of the couch. She was fuming. "He has a big presentation due in the morning that's really important. He said he just can't get away."

"His job was always more important than Guy," Goldburg said, looking up as Orion walked up.

"Portman's parents are catching the first flight out. I couldn't get a hold of Dwayne's parents, I'll have to try them again later. Casey's on her way up and she's giving Fulton's mom a ride up here too." He looked over at Connie, who shook her head furiously.

Orion sighed, clearly not understanding of the choice Guy's father had made. "I also called Bombay," he informed everyone. "He's in Duluth right now, he'll be here in a few hours."

Luis nodded along with everyone else, happy that Bombay was coming up. His presence here with everyone would be a much-needed comfort.

"I'm going to the restroom," Connie said, excusing herself from the group. Tears were suddenly in her eyes and Luis got the impression that really Connie wanted to be alone. She walked off, and Julie got up to follow her. Luis had no idea what it was like to be in love; he did know how much Connie and Guy meant to each other and could not fathom how she must be feeling at the moment.

Luis looked out the window again. Clouds were now slowly moving across the moon; soon it would be covered. The snow was picking up a faster pace. He winced at the image of his five friends lying buried underneath all that feet of snow somewhere. Idly he wondered what the future had planned for them. Had they come up here with thirteen ducks only to go home a team of eight?

* * *

The rumbling in his stomach reminded Guy of his hunger, yet another problem he would rather forget at the moment. The cold was coming much faster now; even though they all sat as close to each other as possible, it didn't seem to be helping too much.

His eyes were now used to the darkness, although it still unnerved him. But for the last hour (Fulton had started checking his watch again), rocks and pebbles were slowly sliding down the cave walls, even when seemingly nothing was setting it off. The five had taken to not speaking, even in whispers.

"I didn't think I'd die like this," Dwayne said suddenly, not even bothering to whisper. Guy didn't bother to hush him; his thoughts were running along the same track. No one else said anything either. "I thought I had a long life ahead of me, you know? I didn't even graduate high school."

"None of us did," Charlie replied, also not whispering. "I was gonna be in the NHL."

"I was gonna marry Connie," Guy threw in regretfully.

"I was gonna figure out what I was gonna do," Fulton added.

Guy shivered. His coat was no longer keeping him warm, and the skin under his ski match was getting very itchy. He wanted to take it off and give his face a good long scratch but he didn't think it a good idea. Besides, he wouldn't be able to see to put the cap back on, not that it would have made a difference.

"Were you really going to marry Connie?" Dwayne asked Guy.

"Uh…" Guy was suddenly glad no one could see him. "Well, yeah I think I always assumed that we would end up married to each other. We've been together since we were kids."

"You have never felt like there was anything else out there you might be missing?" Portman questioned him.

"Uh… No, not really. Not that it matters now anyway."

"Don't say that," the older Bash Brother demanded. "Why are you all talking like we're for sure going to die? Yeah, it looks kinda bleak, but we're not even hypothermic yet. It's still only been hours… there's still a chance that they can find us, but if we all give up, we are signing our own death sentences."

No one replied. The sudden silence reminded Guy of how unstable the cave they were sitting in was; while they were talking he had been able to push the sound of pebbles falling to the back of his mind. He could hear it again now.

"Besides," Portman went on, determined to get through to the others. "The rest of the team is waiting for us to be found, and we are not letting them down. Ducks don't do that to each other, remember?"

Suddenly horrified, Guy inhaled sharply. He hadn't even thought of how the others on the team would feel if they died. They were all close friends with each other, and a few of them had been friends since they were small children. And if five of them didn't come back from this trip, would the others still be able to play at Eden Hall?

"They'd be devastated," Fulton said.

"Not to mention our parents," Charlie pointed out. "My mom would be crushed. I don't think she could handle it."

"I don't really think my dad would care," Guy admitted.

"Aw, that's not true," Dwayne protested, sounding very reassuring.

"Well, maybe he'd care a little bit. But he wouldn't be greatly affected. He's not the same kind of parent that all you guys have." With the silence that came after this, Guy could feel the looks he would be getting if they could all see each other. "It's okay," he assured them. "I have the team and I have Connie."

Connie… She had been waiting on him to come back and meet her before the avalanche had hit. In fact, if he had left to go meet her when he originally wanted to, he wouldn't have been in the avalanche…. He would be with the rest of the team waiting.

"See? We all have people to go back to," Portman said firmly. "We are not giving up this easily! Man we've got to get out of here," he said suddenly, and Guy could hear him shifting his weight. "We're all pouring out our hearts to each other. I never thought I'd have so much emotion to share with anybody."

The last time Guy had sat with close friends and really opened up was at the campfire with the team after winning the Junior Goodwill Games. He knew that Connie and Julie liked to talk a lot about things like that; girls always needed to talk about how they were feeling. That camping trip had also been a weekend long, but nothing disastrous had happened then. They all spent that whole weekend in euphoria, still coming off the high of having beaten the Iceland team. That particular night around the fire was the second and last night, and they were all like a family. Something about sitting in a circle together talking, singing, and just being close bonded a group in a way few other things did.

No one spoke again after this, and the would-be silence was enough to about drive Guy insane. He was shivering constantly now and he expected to hear the chattering teeth of one of his friends before long. Fulton's watch cast a dim light on the Duck's wrist, but before he could announce the time, the ground began to tremble again. A sudden, bursting sound of sliding rocks pierced Guy's ears. He heard his friends cry out as he quickly sprawled out onto his stomach, colliding with Fulton as the younger Bash Brother did the same thing. Just seconds after throwing his arms over his head, the ceiling of the cave crashed down on the five trapped teens.

**TBC**

**Mean, no? So sorry about that. Well, not too sorry. LOL. Please review! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: Two months! That's better than eleven, right? LOL. Life has been hectic and homework has been consuming all my time, but Spring Break is coming up. Even so, no promises, guys. Anywayz, this chapter came out slightly different than I thought it might. The end might seem a little weird but I really couldn't get it any differently. As always, please review and let me know what you think.**

**Chapter Four**

He was alive. That lone thought took a couple of minutes to register in Guy's mind as he opened his eyes to darkness. Somehow, he had survived the cave-in. This came as a surprise to him; he had been sure when the cave collapsed that he had met the end of his life.

He blinked, momentarily forgetting that he wouldn't be able to see anything. As his mind slowly cleared, his heart began to pound faster and harder in his chest. He had just been in a cave-in and he had no idea if his friends were even alive.

How much of the cave had collapsed? He couldn't look around to find out. If there was anything left standing, it wouldn't be stable. Guy tried to push himself forward, and the movement made him feel dizzy. He hardly moved half an inch and felt the shift of the debris that was keeping him pinned to the hard ground. He was half-buried underneath the rocks, and suddenly it felt heavy.

Guy shivered, wishing that he had worn about five extra layers of clothing. He had been extremely cold before the cave collapsed, but now he felt like he had taken residence on an ice glacier. The silence around him unnerved him: were the others okay?

"Fulton?" he whispered, afraid of raising his voice to loud. "Charlie? Dwayne?"

Silence.

"Portman?"

No one answered.

"Guys?" he asked a little louder, desperately hoping to hear from one of his friends. When no answered, Guy worried he might be the only one left alive.

He extended his arms out, trying to find Fulton, whom he knew had been right next to him. All he felt was rock. He tried to pull himself out from under the debris lying on him, but a sharp piece of rock only dug deeper into his left shoulder. He winced and stopped moving, the dizziness returning swiftly. He gave up on moving momentarily, trying to think what he could do to get himself free. There had to be a way out of this. He could not just lie there in the dark and freeze to death, especially with four of his friends lying just feet away.

But what could he do? He wouldn't be able to see his hand if he waved it right in front of his face, and he couldn't move. The sun had set already; sunrise was hours away. Worst of all, rescue still seemed hopeless.

Should he bother trying? Was it worth the effort if he and the other four were just going to die anyway? The despair descending upon him was heavier than the debris that was holding him down.

* * *

"Julie, I'm okay," Connie insisted as the blonde followed her into their room at the lodge. 

"None of us are okay," Julie disagreed, closing the door behind her.

"I just want to be alone right now, Jules," the brunette said as she sat down on one of the twins beds. "Give me a few minutes and I'll come back and join you guys. We should all be together when word comes."

Julie looked skeptical. "I don't think you're in a good frame of mind to be alone right now."

"Don't be so dramatic," Connie said, rolling her eyes. "You just said that none of us are okay." With a sigh, she turned her back on the goalie.

"Okay, fine. If that's how you want it, then that's how it'll be. Just remember to come back out in a few minutes okay? And if you're worried about appearing weak in front of the guys, don't. No one's thinking that."

When the door had closed and she was alone, Connie laid down across the bed, hugging the pillow underneath her head. She had been looking forward to this weekend so much, partially to get the break from schoolwork and from being at Eden Hall, but mostly because she and Guy craved having alone time together.

She wanted to call Guy's dad and scream at him for not coming up. His son had always come second in Pierre Germaine's life, but now was not the time to put business first. Guy always said he was fine with how things were between him and his dad, that he was used to it and that he had the Ducks to make up for it. Connie knew better. When Guy found out his dad hadn't come, he would be hurt. And if Guy didn't make it out alive, Connie hoped Pierre would feel it for the rest of his life.

Her heart twisted at the idea of Guy not coming back to her. And that four of her other closest friends were also out there only made it worse. She and Charlie had been friends since they were six years old. Dwayne was one of the sweetest guys around, and he'd roped that Hawk in the Jr. Goodwill Games to save her. Ever since then, he'd also been one of her best friends. The Ducks were all close. She hoped no one was thinking she was only upset about Guy, because it wasn't true.

She remembered Julie telling her to come back out in a few minutes, so Connie took a deep breath and headed for the door. She knew she could break down in front of everyone, but she didn't want to. They were all barely holding it together, and if she broke, she knew the others would too. They might not end up in tears like her, but there were other ways to break. Adam would break after her, and he would leave the group and not come back until someone went to get him. Then Averman would make some stupid joke everyone would laugh at to ease the tension, and because it had worked the first time and because he wanted to feel better, the jokes would just keep coming and they'd get worse and worse. That would be just the beginning. They were all holding it together because she hadn't broken down yet. She was not going to break down.

* * *

Gordon Bombay tapped his hand against the steering wheel impatiently as he waited for the stoplight to turn green. He was less than an hour away from the resort the Ducks were at, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible. 

"Gordon, just be patient," the woman in the passenger seat said soothingly. "We'll get there."

"I can't help it, Michele," he replied. "The Ducks are like my own kids to me."

Michele McKay nodded in understanding. She loved those kids, too; she wasn't nearly as close to any of them as Gordon was, nor had she kept in touch with them beyond the occasional e-mails, but she loved them.

The two adults had been dating each other ever since the summer that the Ducks played in the Junior Goodwill Games, the summer Gordon and Michele met each other. In the years since, she continued to tutor Team USA, and he was on staff recruiting hockey players. It allowed them to stay together without working together all the time.

When Orion called Gordon earlier to tell him about the avalanche, Gordon nearly exploded. Since then he'd been a wreck, not able to get up to the resort fast enough. Michele wondered why she'd let him drive.

"I'll bet they're going crazy," Gordon commented, glancing back at his cell phone, which hadn't rung once since the terrible news came. "Orion promised to keep me updated."

Michele didn't reply. She could have said that no news was good news, but in this case it wasn't. No news meant that Charlie, Fulton, Guy, Dwayne, and Portman were all still buried in the avalanche.

"Maybe I should call Casey," the coach pondered, reaching back for his phone. Michele stopped him.

"The light is about to turn, and you're jittery enough without having a phone to distract you. You can talk to her, and to everyone else, when we get there."

Gordon nodded, knowing she was right. He watched the light change to green and he stepped off the brake and onto the accelerator.

They drove in silence for the next fifty minutes, both consumed with thoughts of the kids up at the resort. Gordon knew that the Ducks would be glad to have him there, and he couldn't wait to reach them. He could give Connie and Julie both hugs, he could talk to the resort managers himself to find out everything about the search. He could talk with Casey Conway, and with Ellie Reed. He hoped Guy's dad would be there with all his might.

When they pulled into the resort, he saw Casey and Ellie stepping out of a little car. He quickly parked and he and Michele went to greet the two panicking mothers, and together the four went inside to greet the Ducks.

* * *

Lying in the quiet darkness with a large rock poking into his shoulder did nothing for Guy's mood. He guessed an hour had passed since he first woke up, but it could have been far longer. Maybe only five minutes had passed. He really had no idea. Finally he decided that even if it was hopeless and he and his friends were going to die, he was not going to give up. Again he tried to push himself forward, a bit slower this time to try to ward off any dizziness, and he was prepared for the sharp pain in his shoulder. But he pressed on. 

After a few seconds he pulled himself forward with more force. Just as he was about to give up and give in to the pain, a rush of adrenaline went through him. He was not going to die like this! He managed to pull his shoulder out from under the rock, successfully freeing him but dislocating his shoulder in the process. He cried out painfully as he slowly brought himself to his knees. His head hit the top of the rocks; he was in an enclosed area, apparently. Were the other Ducks even anywhere near him?

He wished he could see. Instead, he used his hands as his eyes and felt out the area. Fairly quickly he felt a cool hand. Believing it to be Fulton, he quickly discerned that no rocks were crushing the body of his friend, but he couldn't see what kinds of injuries the teen had sustained. Moving further down, he eventually found all four of the other Ducks; they were all unconscious and cold. He hesitated to move any of them; he didn't want to aggravate any of their injuries.

As time went on, however, he worried they might become hypothermic. He himself couldn't even feel his toes. He couldn't feel his left arm either but that was because his shoulder was dislocated and he didn't want to try to fix it in the dark.

Slowly he worked on moving who he thought was Fulton closer to who he thought was Charlie. Then he moved Dwayne, and finally Portman, to the group before lying down himself. Hours had to have passed by now. He was tired. No one had so much as stirred. No one was coming to rescue them. He felt numb to the cold. Maybe he had bought his friends a few more hours since they were all lying next to each other. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Maybe by the time they were all found, they would all be dead. Guy didn't even have the energy to care as his heavy eyelids closed. As he drifted off, he thought he heard a faint echo of voices from far away, but he dismissed it as his imagination and fell back into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter Five

**Corrected chapter on 5/16! Thanks to Panther28 for pointing out the mistake.**

**A/N: I'm not sure this chapter is quite up to par, but at least it's not total crap. (I think, lol.) See, I'm getting better about my updates, lol. Enjoy this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the Ducks. Sigh. Maybe I'll work for Disney so I can say that I do. LMAO! Just kidding. (Grin.)**

**Chapter Five**

The team all got to their feet when Bombay, Michele, Casey and Ellie walked into the resort. Few other people sat in the lodge; the large room was just about empty but still smelled of a barbecue. As Bombay expected, everyone looked relieved and happy to see him. "There's still no news?" he asked Orion as Connie walked into his open arms.

Orion shook his head, watching Bombay hug Connie and then Julie. "Nothing."

Bombay nodded solemnly, looking over all the Ducks who stood before him. They all looked exhausted, hungry, cold, and worried. "Let's move to the fireplace so we can all sit on some couches," he suggested to everyone. Slowly they nodded and headed towards the middle of the building.

The resort manager approached them then, and Orion introduced him to the four adults who had just arrived. The manager assured them everything possible was being done to find the boys, and then ordered more food and hot drinks for everyone. Casey and Connie were arm-in-arm as they sat down on a couch near the fire. Michele gave Julie a quick, tight hug and then they both took seats on the same couch as Casey and Connie. Ellie looked unsure of herself, looking around at everyone as they got resettled, so Bombay stepped forward and sat down with her on the nearby couch, his arm around her.

Instead of taking other couches, the team sat on the floor facing those two couches. Orion took the chair between the two couches; he exhaled slowly as he leaned back. He also looked exhausted.

"Are the other parents on their way?" Casey inquired, looking around.

Orion looked up. "Portman's parents are on a plane right now," he replied. "I only just now got a hold of Dwayne's parents, so they probably won't be here until tomorrow, but I have Mrs. Robertson's cell phone in case any news comes." He paused, a sour look crossing his face. "Guy's dad doesn't plan on coming up."

Bombay closed his eyes, his face tightening. He'd had a feeling that Guy's dad wouldn't come, and the coach had half a mind to drive down to the man's house and drag him up here.

Casey was shaking her head and Ellie looked shocked. The team just looked generally upset, and Bombay knew they wanted him to say something to make them feel better. He wished there was something he could say to make them feel better. He'd give his life for each and every member of the team. He would give anything to be able to trade places with the missing boys, or to be able to see them safe and warm and smiling.

"You guys feeling warmer?" he addressed the team for lack of something soothing to say. A few people nodded, a couple of them shrugged. Some of them didn't respond in any way. Averman stared into the space ahead of him. Connie looked close to tearing up, and Bombay expected her to within the next fifteen minutes. Luis was keeping his eyes to the floor.

One of the many TVs in the lodge was nearby, well within hearing range, and it was tuned into a local news station which was reporting the avalanche. The names of the five Ducks had finally been released, as had the information that they were members of the Eden Hall hockey team, formerly of the famous USA Ducks of the Junior Goodwill Games. Bombay shook his head. If any reporters tried to talk to the team, he would call in a favor to his former boss, Mr. Ducksworth, to keep any and all reporters off their backs.

When the manager came back over, two employees were behind him carrying trays of food and coffee. Bombay stood up and asked to speak to the manager, and they stepped aside. Orion joined them.

"How many rescue teams are out?" Bombay asked. "How many people are in a crew?"

"Mr. Bombay," the manager replied, "I know you are anxious. We have several different crews as well as a few qualified volunteers out on the mountain, and they will be searching through the night. We know it is important that we find the boys before much more time passes."

"They're covering the entire mountain? Every inch?"

"Every inch where the boys could potentially be and still be alive."

Bombay started at that and noticed that Orion looked alarmed as well. "What does that mean?"

The manager took in a deep breath. "The run your boys were on when the avalanche hit is the most advanced slope in the entire resort. There are many curves and jumps that the skiers must hit exactly right. A good portion of that mountain contains steep cliffs and jagged rocks. We've got to hope those boys weren't anywhere… especially dangerous when the avalanche hit them."

His words hit Bombay hard; Orion looked to him with a large frown. Bombay sighed. "Do we tell everyone else that?" he asked the taller coach.

Orion shook his head, making the decision at once for both of them. "They're already anxious enough, and they've been getting more so the more time that goes by. I'm sure a few of them realize. I don't think we need to mention it to them."

Bombay nodded and the two coaches headed back to the group. He tried to look assuring as he sat down next to Fulton's mom.

They needed to be distracted. Sitting quietly waiting was only going to make everyone more anxious, so Bombay decided that it was necessary that he give everyone something to do.

"Anyone got a couple decks of cards?" he asked. Everyone looked over at him in puzzlement. "What? We might as well play something while we're waiting. It'll help pass the time."

"I brought a deck," Connie answered, sittning up. "It's upstairs in our room."

"I brought a couple as well," Averman said. "Mostly for card tricks. Should I get them?"

Bombay nodded and Connie and Averman both got up, walking together up to their rooms to retrieve their cards. The rest of the team sitting on the floor started to move around a bit; Bombay knew they were getting restless.

Connie and Averman returned at the same time, having accompanied each other to their rooms. Adam and Goldburg brought over a coffee table that the team gathered around. Ellie looked unsure.

"I think I'll just watch you guys play," she said as Connie, Averman, and Russ shuffled the decks. When the three decks had been shuffled together, the teens decided to play B.S. and they explained how to play to Bombay, Casey, Michele, and Orion. Bombay looked around the table as Russ dealt out the cards: already everyone looked a little better.

Orion gave him an appreciative nod, also recognizing that distracting them was the best thing to do for now. Bombay looked up at the clock as he picked up his pile of cards. Time was working as an enemy, and it was winning.

The darkness confused Guy when he woke up again. He lifted his head slightly, opened his eyes and saw nothing, and so he closed them and reopened them, straining the eye muscles to see something. Then he realized he was still in the cave, his four friends lying unconscious—or worse—next to him. He laid his head back against the ground, unwilling and unable to move much more.

Why did he keep waking up? Why couldn't he have gotten the luck of the other four and be knocked out for all of this? If he was waiting for death, he would rather it come sooner than later.

Distant voices broke into the silence. Guy recalled hearing them right before he had passed out, but hadn't that been his imagination? Maybe he'd been wrong; maybe someone was really out there.

Slowly he raised his head again, listening intently. The voices were slowly getting louder; people were out there and they were getting closer. Should he call out to them? Would they even hear him, or would his voice merely echo off the rocks surrounding him, unheard by the people outside? If he did yell out, would that cause more rocks to come barreling down on him and his friends?

These thoughts ran through his mind slowly. Then he realized he couldn't hear the voices anymore; silence filled the air once more. What was going on? Was he going crazy?

Taking the chance that he really had heard people outside, looking for him and his friends, he called out. His eyelids were getting heavy; he was tired. He wanted to sleep, but he wanted to be rescued even more. He yelled louder, and this time was rewarded with the returning sound of voices.

"I'm over here!" he called out, hoping they would be able to follow the sound of his voice.

"We've found one of them!" he heard a frantic voice call out, although it was still strangely distant. "Get some equipment! If you can hear me, keep yelling so we can pinpoint where you are!"

Several minutes later Guy could hear people digging, and many voices that seemed fairly close. One of them was urging him to stay awake.

"The other four are here with me," he told them drowsily. "We were in a cave when the avalanche hit, but it collapsed."

He heard the men calling out for more equipment to dig through the rocks. "Has anyone else been awake since the cave collapsed?" he heard someone ask him.

"Uh… No, not that I know of. I haven't been awake the whole time, so maybe."

"Are you cold?" someone else asked.

"No, I haven't been cold in awhile." Guy furrowed his brow at his statement, wondering how that could be.

"We need to hurry it up, these kids have hypothermia."

Knowing they were rescued, and unable to keep his eyes open anymore, Guy closed his eyes again, sick of how often he was coming and out of it. He heard people calling out to him to stay awake, but wasn't sure why they sounded so alarmed as they faded off into the distance.

"They've been found!"

It was after midnight when these words reached the team, and at once everyone was on their feet, cheering to each other. The resort manager came running towards them.

"Your boys have been found!" he exclaimed excitedly. "All five of them!"

Immediately the poor man was bombarded with questions from every direction. He held up his hands to quiet them. "All I know is teams are still in the process of digging the boys out, but apparently all five of them are together. Ambulances are on their way, they'll be taken to Saint Mary's Trauma Center."

The bus driver, who had spent the entire night up in his room, came rushing down exclaiming the good news. When he inquired about which hospital to drive to, the manager gave him directions.

"Why don't you four come on the bus with us?" Orion suggested to Bombay, Michele, Ellie and Casey as everyone rushed outside excitedly. "Then we'll all get there at the same time."

"Bombay, you keep the directions," Averman said when they were all on the bus, interfering when the bus driver moved to hand Orion the written directions. "Or we won't get there until after they've been released."

Orion glared at the redhead, but Bombay just chuckled as he took the piece of paper from the driver. Excited chatter filled the bus as the large vehicle slowly made its way out of the resort parking lot.

"I need to call Portman's and Dwayne's parents!" Bombay yelled suddenly, slapping his palm to his forehead.

"Call them when we get there," Orion said calmly. "We'll need to call Guy's father as well, let him know."

Bombay grumbled at that, not wishing any contact with the jerk. Then Adam pulled him into a conversation with Michele, but the coach was impatiently watching the road and checking his watch until they pulled up to the trauma center.

TBC 


	7. Chapter Six

**I didn't take too long with this chapter, see? I'm proud, lol. The chapter after this one should be the last one. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing!**

**Chapter Six**

Julie sat in the waiting room of St. Mary's Trauma Center with the rest of the Ducks, fidgeting excitedly. Charlie, Fulton, Portman, Guy, and Dwayne had been found together. To Julie that mean all five of them had to be alive.

When they'd arrived at the trauma center, an annoyed nursed ushered them into the waiting room, and there they'd all been waiting for almost half an hour for the five guys to arrive. According to the news, which a few people were watching in the waiting room, the guys were still being dug out. None of the crew working would stop to talk to the press, and therefore they weren't saying how they'd found the boys or if they knew how many were alive. Basically, the Ducks knew nothing.

Bombay had called the Portmans and the Roberstons; the Portmans were driving to the trauma center and would be there shortly. The Robertsons had managed to switch for an earlier flight but still wouldn't arrive for several more hours.

Adam, Ken and Luis came back from the cafeteria with coffee and some other refreshments for everyone. Ellie Reed kept her eyes on the TV, waiting to hear that her son had been pulled out. Casey and Michele were talking quietly in the corner. Orion leaned against the door frame of the waiting room, not saying anything., Bombay paced behind him. Averman, Russ and Connie were playing cards on the table, but kept a close eye on the news, which was currently at commercials.

Connie had already called Guy's dad and explained to him what was going on and where Guy and the others were going to be brought. According to her, he had thanked her for the information and hung up. Julie had been surprised in the first place that Mr. Germaine had seemed to care so little, because she'd never gotten an impression that the relationship between Guy and his dad was so terrible. Guy had never said anything about it before.

The parents of the other four boys rushed themselves to get up here; the Robertsons encountered problems getting an early flight as all of the immediate flights were completely booked, but they'd gotten the first one available and were trying to get up as soon as possible. Julie shook her head; she just did not understand it at all.

Casey had talked Connie down after that call because Connie had been incredibly upset, going off on how Pierre didn't realize how much he'd hurt Guy in the past and how hurt Guy would be now. Now Connie wasn't saying much, just playing cards and watching the news.

Julie hoped that the guys would be pulled out soon; they'd already been under the snow for almost nine hours, with dangerously dropping temperatures. Julie hadn't held much hope if they weren't found by sunrise. And because no one would say how many of them were alive, it was feared among the group that not all of them were.

Ken took the empty seat beside her and gave her a cup of steaming coffee. She wrinkled her nose. "I don't drink coffee," she told him as he took a sip from his own cup.

He gaped at her. "Then how on Earth do you make the morning practices?" he asked incredulously. She only only shrugged. "Well, you're going to need that," he told her. "We probably won't be going back to the lodge until tomorrow."

"Like I could sleep right now anyway," the blonde replied, sniffing the coffee. "Did you put cream and sugar in this?"

"Well, I knew you wouldn't take it black, Cat Lady," Ken replied with a small smile.

She thanked him, deciding she might as well drink some of it. As she sipped the coffee, she was surprised to find she liked it a bit. She looked up at the TV just as it returned from commercials.

The broadcast went immediately to the mountain where the avalanche had hit, and a reporter announced they had breaking news. Connie called out to everyone, jumping to her feet. Julie and Ken also stood up as everyone gathered around the television.

"The five teenaged boys have all been pulled out," the reporter said. "We have gotten confirmation that all five of them are alive and are currently being taken to St. Mary's Trauma Center."

Everything else the reporter had to say was drowned out by the cheering in the waiting room. Ellie and Casey hugged each other as everyone else gave quick, happy hugs to everyone. They were only just starting to calm down when Julie heard sirens getting closer. A nurse from the nurses' station called to members of the staff.

"We have five teenage boys coming in with severe hypothermia and other possible injuries," she reported as a group of doctors and nurses followed her to the ER doors. The Ducks sobered quickly when they heard this.

The ER doors burst open and Julie heard stretchers coming in, one after another. She watched as the first stretcher was rushed by, then the second, and then the third. As each stretcher bearing one of her friends passed, another gasp escaped the lips of one of the waiting teammates. She walked forth, catching sight of the occupant of the fifth stretcher: Charlie.

She only saw him for a couple of seconds but he looked terrible. He was white as the pillow his head rested on, his body wrapped in heavy blankets. He was also unconscious and she thought she saw a bit of dried blood on his brow. Julie started at that, wondering where that might have come from.

The other four probably looked that horrible as well. The Ducks all stared down the hallway after their friends; Casey and Ellie followed their sons to the trauma rooms they were taken to as everyone else went back to the couches to do what they'd been doing for the last several hours: wait.

* * *

Edward and Jill Portman were frantic when they came into St. Mary's just a few minutes later. Bombay met up with them and explained what was happening, leading them over to the waiting room. 

None of the Ducks had ever met Portman's parents before. Jill smiled kindly as Bombay introduced everyone; Edward just looked frazzled. He shook Orion's hand and nodded to all the Ducks, the he went up the nurses' station to get information.

Casey walked back into the waiting room, looking shaken. Michele gently took her arm and led her to a couch. "They wouldn't let me stay," she said in a shaky voice. Bombay watched her closely, wanting to hear anything she could tell him.

"His body temperature is 91 degrees," she told him, referring to Charlie. "They said something about a head injury, a CAT Scan…" she trailed off, her wide eyes staring straight in front of her.

When Michele asked about Ellie, Casey said she was watching the Fulton through the window. She didn't know any details about Fulton's condition. Jill Portman asked then about her son, and Casey repeated that she didn't know.

She fell into silence then. A few minutes later, a cop came in and asked to speak to those there for the avalanche victims. Everyone looked at him expectantly so he cleared his throat.

"Everyone then," he mumbled to himself before addressing everyone. "The rescue crews who pulled out those boys are resting now, but a few want to come by in the morning, if that's all right. Anyway, I'm sure you all have some questions about just what happened to them." He proceeded to explain to them about the cave—that it had been farther to the side of the mountain than the ski trail and that the rescue workers hadn't thought they would be that far off the trail, and that being in the cave when the avalance hit had kept them from being caught in the snow.

"The cave did collapse," he told them. "Which is why it took so long to dig the boys out. It also means they probably have injuries they received in the cave-in, but I'm not a doctor, so I don't know. Your boys are very lucky they were found when they were."

"Did the cave-in signal to the rescuers where they were?" Bombay asked.

The police officer shook his head. "No. The cave probably collapsed about three or four hours ago, maybe more. Luckily, one of the boys was awake, and he moved the others closer together to keep them warmer. He was able to call out the rescuers. He was unconscious by the time the researchers got to them; whichever one it was, he's probably the reason they're all still alive."

He walked away and everyone else glanced at each other. "I'll be it was Charlie," Averman stated, starting the verbal speculation.

"It could have been any of them," Orion replied, ending it. A nurse came in just then with news and found herself quickly surrounded.

* * *

The hospital rooms which the boys were moved to from the ER were big—which was fortunate because at the time there weren't many available. Portman and Charlie were put into a room together. Portman and Charlie were put into a room together, and in an adjoining room to theirs were Dwayne, Fulton, and Guy. They all had various injuries from the cave-in, and were all still unconscious. 

Once assured that the five were all doing better, their anxious visitors began dropping like flies. Casey, Ellie, the Portmans and Connie took the couches in the rooms to sleep, and everyone else, not wanting to go back to leave, settled for sleeping in the second floor waiting room, which comfortably accommodated everyone.

After a few hours of sleep, Adam was the first to rise. He got himself a cup of coffee and crept into Portman and Charlie's room. Casey, Edward and Jill were all still asleep on the couch, so Adam kept silent as he looked at his unconscious friends. How close they had come… Adam trailed off with that thought. Both were hooked up into heart monitor machines and had blankets covering them, showing no signs of waking up.

Slowly he moved into Guy, Fulton and Dwayne's room. Again, he saw the same thing: heart monitors and blankets. The three boys were out cold. Dwayne's parents had arrived not long before and were sitting with their son. Ellie and Connie were both sleeping. Adam stood at the door, wondering if he should just leave. Dwayne's dad, George, looked over at him.

"You must be one of the Ducks," he said, standing up. The two exchanged introductions and then Kathy introduced herself. "Dwayne talks a lot about you guys." He looked back over at his son and sighed. Then turning back to Adam, he asked about the two in the other room.

"They aren't awake yet, either," Adam told him. He saw quickly that this was discouraging words to the Robertsons. "But… the doctors said that hypothermia victims shouldn't be unconscious too long, right?"

"Dwayne has a concussion and he has probably been unconscious since the cave collapsed." George sighed. "I would just feel better if he were awake."

Adam looked out the window; the sun had come up an hour ago. The Robertsons had turned back to Dwayne, so Adam thought I would be best to leave. He passed Ellie on the couch on his way out—her eyes were open. She gave him a tight smile as he passed, and he wondered how much sleep she'd gotten.

He stepped into the hall, and as the door closed, he ran his hand through his hair. The team had already decided not to go back to the lodge until everyone was awake, until they were assured all five of them would be all right. He wasn't sure if he could handle waiting all day for his friends to know.

* * *

Portman woke up around ten and the first thing he was aware of was his parents smiling down on him. His mom held his hand and she asked him how he was feeling. 

Feeling slightly confused, he looked around. A clip-like object was attached to his right index finger, its cord connected to a heart monitor. An IV line went into the top of his left hand; around his right wrist rested a hospital bracelet.

Sitting in a chair next to the bed next to his was Casey Conway; the brown wavy hair of the occupant in the bed belonged to Charlie.

Immediately everything came rushing back—the avalanche, sitting for hours in that cave… they'd been rescued. How long had they been in the hospital?

"Dean?" his dad asked, gaining Portman's attention again. "Are you all right?"

"Wha… How did I get here? Is Charlie okay?" Portman started to sit up, moving his hand to pull back the blankets, but both his parents pulled him back.

"Whoa, there son, you're pretty banged up. After that cave-in, you're lucky that a minor concussion is the worst injury you had."

"Cave-in?" Portman asked. "The cave collapsed Is everyone all right?"

"We're just waiting for them to wake up," his mom told him. "You all came in with a severe hypothermia along with other injuries."

"So I'm the first one awake? How long ago did we get here?"

"About eight and a half hours ago. Honestly, honey, we were starting to worry that you hadn't woken up," Jill answered.

Portman's eyes widened and he again pushed himself up to get out of bed, but this time he wouldn't give in to his parents' protests.

"I want to see them for myself!" he exclaimed, quieting them both.

"Dean, we should really get a doctor in here to have a look at you," Edward said quietly. "You were unconscious for a long time."

"Get a doctor later," Portman replied, swinging his legs over the bed. "Mom, hand me that robe," he requested, pointing to a hospital robe folded on the table at the end of the bed. He unhooked the heart monitor clip from his finger and the machine gave off a flatline.

A couple of nurses and a doctor came rushing into the room. Edward hastily explained that everything was all right. Portman continued to insist on seeing his friends as the nurses left, so the aggravated doctor agreed to get a wheelchair, so long as Portman agreed to coming back to bed and allowing the doctor to have a look at him.

Casey, who had watched everything in silence, spoke up. "Portman, there isn't anything you can do. Everyone will all wake up on their own time." He watched her look back to her son with a bit of anxiety on her face.

"I want to see for myself that we're all here and okay," Portman said firmly as he put on the blue hospital robe. He remained sitting on the bed until the doctor came back with a wheelchair. At the door stood Orion, Bombay, Michele and the Ducks.

He waved them all in. Connie rushed forward and gave him a tight hug, followed by Julie and soon all the guys. Bombay, Orion and Michele came in last giving him large smiles.

The team all expressed to them how glad they were to see him and a few jokes went around about how terrible he looked.

"You should be in bed, Portman," Orion lectured. "You look like you could sleep for a week, and you need to let yourself recover." Nevertheless, he helped Portman move into the wheelchair, and grabbed the IV stand. "Where exactly are you so determined to go?"

"To see the rest of the guys," he answered simply. He looked at Bombay. "They're here, right?"

Bombay nodded. "Portman, they're all still unconscious—"

"I know," Portman interrupted through gritted teeth. "I just want to see them for myself. Are they close?"

"They're right next door," Michele assured him. "All three of them are in the adjoining room."

Portman gazed at the door connecting the rooms and hen looked over at Charlie. "Coach, wheel me over to Charlie?"

Orion gave him the IV stand and then pushed him to Charlie's bed. Casey sat on the opposite side and from behind him the entire team watched.

Portman eyed the team captain closely, taking in the stitches on Charlie's forehead, under which there was a dark bruise. Then he asked to know exactly how he was doing and what his injuries were.

"He has a concussion, along with the stitches, and he twisted his knee and sprained his wrist. The hypothermia was the most threatening, as it was with all of you. Like your mom said, we're just waiting for him to wake up."

"Why isn't he awake if he's okay?"

Casey took in a deep breath and sighed. "The concussion, maybe, and the hypothermia, combined. But the doctors said hypothermia victims shouldn't remain unconscious for too long."

"They'll all be awake soon," Bombay said assuringly. "There's no reason to think otherwise."

Portman nodded but was quiet as Orion wheeled him into the next room.

**TBC**

**R&R!**


	8. Chapter Seven

_Author's Note: Hold the phone, I've updated! No way! I apologize profusely for the ridiculously long delay in getting this chapter up. I know I said in chapter six that this would be the last chapter, but unfortunately that has turned out to not be the case._

**Chapter Seven**

Dwayne's parents looked relieved to see Portman--wheelchair, pale complexion and all. Orion wheeled him over to Dwayne's bed as everyone filed in behind them. Portman immediately introduced himself to George and Kathy Robertson. "I'm glad you're all right," George said as they shook hands.

Portman thanked him and then nodded down to his friend. "How's he doing?"

Kathy sat at the edge of her son's bed with a gentle hold on his hand. "He has a concussion, but aside from that, just scrapes and bruises. His body temperature was at 91 degrees when he came in, but it's back to normal now."

The teenager nodded approvingly as he listened. "You think he'll be awake soon?"

"That would make us feel better," George replied. "There's no reason why he shouldn't be awake."

"Good." Then he asked his coach to wheel him over to Fulton. As he neared his best friend, he gulped . Fulton's face was bruised, cut in some places, but there were no stitches as far as Portman could see.

He greeted Ellie, expecting her quiet return. They'd met many times before. He didn't even have to ask before Ellie began filling him in; Fulton had a head wound, obviously, and, as with everyone else, a concussion. He'd sprained his right knee and ankle but not too seriously. Again it really was just a matter of when he would wake up.

As he rolled over to Guy, Portman was already feeling better. They were all banged up, just like he was, but even with the cave-in they'd all come out fairly okay. They'd thought they were going to die but now they were going to be fine. His nerves and his bad feeling about the situation were calming.

Connie had taken a seat next to Guy, who also had bruises on his face, and even what was visible of his arms. Portman frowned as he noticed Guy's left arm in a sling. "He dislocated his shoulder," Connie informed him, but said nothing else about it.

Portman knew it had happened in the cave-in. His own body was sore--the longer he was awake, the more he felt all the aches, all the bruises. Apparently Charlie and Guy had caught the worst of the collapse. "But he's doing okay?"

Orion spoke up here. "His body temperature dropped a lot lower than the rest of yours did, but it's come back up. The doctor said his concussion was pretty mild. They think it's possible he was the one who was awake before the rescue."

Portman questioned him about that, curious to know everything he could about what had happened beyond what he remembered. Bombay filled him in on what was known--the cave had collapsed, no one knew they were in it until rescue teams heard someone calling. No one knew for sure, but given that Guy's head injury wasn't as bad as the others, it was more likely he had been awake. Portman wanted to ask why Guy wasn't awake now if that were true, but he held his tongue so as not to upset anybody. Then, as the thought occurred to him, he looked around for Guy's father.

"Where's his dad?" he asked. When he saw the look that came to Connie's face, and that same expression on both Bombay's and Orion's faces, he realized the startling answer.

"Not here," was all Connie said. Tension filled the room. Dwayne's parents, and Portman's parents as well, looked shocked. Everyone else looked uncomfortable, and as Portman looked around to his teammates faces, he realized that some of them knew the story and some of them didn't.

"Well, where's his mother?" Kathy Robertson asked.

"Not around," Averman replied, speaking for the first time in all this. "Believe me, she cares about Guy even less than his dad does." He sounded, even looked, strangely protective of his unconscious friend, and Portman noticed that Goldberg, Connie and Averman had all taken spots at Guy's bed.

"All right, back to bed, young man," Edward interrupted the tension. He nodded back to the door to his and Charlie's room and Orion, looking thankful for the cue, wheeled Portman's chair back to the other room.

* * *

While the doctor was checking Portman out, both Charlie and Fulton woke up. Portman used his "resting time" waiting for Fulton and Charlie to be checked out, but afterwards both he and Charlie wheeled themselves into the other room.

He and Fulton slapped five, the manly way to express relief over each other. Fulton too had seemed anxious on how the other two were doing but didn't quite seem appeased when told that Dwayne and Guy should be awake soon. Portman nodded to him his understanding--after what the five had just been through together, they both wanted to make sure they had all really made it through. Fulton seemed to appreciate that he understood. Charlie appeared to understand as well, because although he looked satisfied when his mom assured him that they were all fine, he didn't partake in trying to convince Fulton of it.

Everyone else's spirits rose significantly. Averman was making jokes, his rare serious side gone as he got the entire room rolling in laughter. Casey kept her hands on her son's chair, looking like she was just reveling in the fact that Charlie was okay, awake and talking. Portman looked to his own mom, who looked like she wanted to force him back to bed. He was grateful at her restraint and to show it he sent her a warm smile.

Everyone became quiet when Fulton asked Portman and Charlie if they remembered the cave-in.

"No, not at all," Portman answered, looking to the captain of the team. "I didn't even know it had collapsed until my dad mentioned it."

"I kind of remember it. It's really vague," Charlie put in. "The ground started shaking. I remember hearing the rocks falling, but that's about it."

"I can't believe none of us were hurt worse," Fulton said. He looked at his mom, who'd been watching him quietly. "Or killed."

"Darn lucky, that's what that is," George Robertson spoke up from the side of Dwayne's bed. Portman looked over to him and his wife--they had been listening to the conversation but were still looking uneasy and concerned. "God sure was watching over you boys. Still is."

The conversation continued in a lighter tone after that, no one bringing up the avalanche or the cave-in. Averman eased up on his jokes and let Bombay tell a few amusing stories about the kids he rounded up for the Junior Goodwill Games every year. Then Julie asked Michele about some of the kids she tutored, and Michele happily shared some of those stories, too.

A nurse came in then and told them she bringing in food for the patients. Portman's stomach rumbled loudly at the thought of food--he hadn't eaten in over eighteen hours. He didn't even care if it was typically gross hospital food--he just wanted something to put into his system.

Right as Portman was chowing down on some rubber mystery meat, Dwayne started to stir, getting everyone excited again. The cowboy opened his eyes to his parents and looked confused.

"What are y'all doing here?" he asked, blinking. His parents laughed softly and then his mom explained that he was in the hospital.

"Hospital?" he asked, blinking some more and looking around. "Hey, y'all," he said with a grin.

When reminded of the avalanche, his eyes widened. "Oh, yeah!" He then launched into great detail to his parents about what had happened--how Guy was supposed to meet Connie but Dwayne had talked him into checking out the cave first; how Fulton had pulled Guy back into the cave right as the avalanche was coming down, and how they'd spent hours in the dark getting colder and colder, with Fulton's watch to remind them that time was passing slowly.

For everyone who hadn't been there, this was significantly more details than they'd known. Before, it was all speculation at how the boys had ended up in the cave and what had transpired, how long it had been before the cave collapsed. None of them had any real clue what being trapped in that cave had been like, even though they'd all wondered. Dwayne was addressing his parents as he told the story, but he had the entire room captive to his spin on what happened. If Dwayne hadn't been such an avid storyteller, the mood would have dropped at the reminder of the terrible thing that everyone had just went through, but Dwayne's enthusiasm and pleasure at having survived kept it up.

When he'd finished telling the story, he looked around at everyone and furrowed his brow. "Hey, where's Guy?" When Adam and Russ moved out of his view of Guy's hospital bed, Dwayne frowned.

"He's okay," Ken insisted. "He's just the last one to wake up, that's all."

"Yeah. An hour ago, you were all still out," Michele added.

Dwayne looked to Fulton, Charlie and Portman, but instead of reassurance he got understanding. That provided him no comfort.

* * *

Everyone had been sure that within the hour, Guy would be awake and alert like the rest of them. When that didn't happen, Fulton could feel everyone getting nervous. Edward and Jill Portman finally insisted on taking their son back to his room for some rest. Dwayne's parents headed to the cafeteria for coffee, promising their own son they'd be back soon and asking him to try to get some sleep. Connie began biting the nails on her right hand, something Fulton had only seen her do before a big game. Russ and Ken sat on the couch that George and Kathy had been on; Russ leaned against the wall staring off into space. Ken turned his back and stared out the window. Bombay kept starting up a pace in front of Guy's bed but would catch himself and sit back down.

Charlie had joined Connie, Averman and Goldberg next to Guy and had been quite adamant to his mom that he didn't need rest. Casey then decided to get some food for herself, as well; Orion, Ellie and Michele joined her.

Fulton observed Connie, Charlie, Averman and Goldberg as they sat together next to Guy. They five of them had all been friends nearly all their lives, had shared more together than anyone else on the team. Fulton remembered being a kid and wishing to have something like that. He'd seen the district five hockey team, and although they'd all been terrible hockey players, they'd also all had solid friendships with each other. Now that he did have that with them, he wanted to demand a wheelchair for himself so that he could be closer to them. His own bed was several feet away. But it felt pointless, and, though he really knew better, almost like he would be intruding, especially with Bombay sitting at the end of the bed. The six of them were the surviving original members of the district five hockey team that had turned into the Ducks.

Deciding to leave it alone for the moment, Fulton turned to Julie, who was sitting in a chair between his bed and Dwayne's. She was silent, her face nearly impassive. When she noticed him watching her, she looked at him and smiled.

"I drank coffee last night," she said to him as an ice-breaker.

"Really?" he replied. "Wow, you must have been pretty desperate for some juice."

"Yeah. It wasn't half bad."

"Not half bad? The last time you tried it you literally spit it out on the table."

"Ken makes a better cup than you do."

"Ah, Wu-Man defeats me again."

They shared a laugh, which in turn felt awkward because they were in the middle of a huge room and no one else was laughing. Luis, Adam and Dwayne were engaged in a conversation of whispers. The huddle at the other end of the room remained completely silent.

**TBC**

_Author's Note: I am so sorry this wasn't the last chapter! You guys deserve for me to finish this at last; I actually wrote this a while ago and then forgot I had written it. I do have scenes for chapter eight written already that were a part of this chapter, but I had too much that I still wanted to do/was trying to do and decided that it really needs another chapter. So, hopefully, the next chapter will be the last one. As I am getting transpired to write this fic, I very much doubt it will take me so long to get it up. Let's all cross our fingers on that. Please drop me a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Reviews are always encouraging! Hint, hint. LOL._

_Oh, and in response to a review from the last chapter: While I am not a shipper, I do appreciate the friendship between Fulton and Portman. I see them as being best friends, but do not personally think it was out of character for Portman to not go to Fulton first at the end of chapter six. He went to Charlie first because Charlie was the closest one there. _


End file.
